[Lotus]

Hi lotus. What way of HRT would be your choice and how did it work for you in general?

Hi Dibraru, I started NBE march of 2012, I lurked at Breastnexus for a year until before I joined on 8-6-2013 (i was about a B-cup).

This was my goal at that time. 

My goal was to prove that a guy could grow bigger than B-cup*

In 2014 I started on HRT (diy) with the thinking of just seeing how far things will go. In 2015 I decided it was time to have my care managed by an HRT doctor. There's a ton more back story (described in the X-thread) to how the whole process went, including deciding to start on my transition journey. By the time I saw my first doctor (an endocrinologist who was transphobic) told me, and I quote “you know you can get those cut-off” (I was a D/DD cup at that point). I've tried every form of HRT, currently i'm using a compounded E2 cream (10% E2 and 10% DMSO) created by Dr. Powers and forumalted through a compounding pharmacy, applied to my inner arms. I was having bruising with needle injections and site reactions using E2 patches from having Leukemia. So far I like using the cream the route. As Dr. Powers explains it he takes his patients off oral E2 after 2-3 years and then switches them to E2 injections for better breast growth outcomes. Another point Dr.Powers makes is about how staying on oral E2 pills for long periods isn't healthy and increases the risks of heart attacks... especially as one ages. 

So, I crushed my goal with NBE , now I'm a L-cup. I had an orchi in 2/2020, went off HRT for two years (doctors order) because I was making my own E2 (in the female range). That was a horrible decision because I broke my ankle by the second year… mainly from the lack of hormones (including testosterone). I parted ways with that HRT doctor and started with the Dr. Powers family medicine, turns out to be the best decision I ever made concerning my transition. As for how it all turned out? well, my second goal was to be curvilicious  I'm happy with the results.   

To sum things up, you have to decide how  or what program you'll start. Imho, it matters not whether you choose NBE or HRT and here's why; starting NBE with PM behaves like starting with bioidentical oral E2. Meaning, breast development is kicked off by E1 (which PM stimulates behaves more like E1) to grow breast buds, (or also known as T.E.B’s (terminal end buds). 

The TEB is responsible for the production of mature cell types leading to the elongation of the subtending duct

The Terminal End Bud: the Little Engine that Could
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5488158/

After being on PM (to further develop and mature breasts you'll need to move HRT. Perhaps more people jump on HRT first over using NBE, without planning to transition. One goal in growing breasts is getting androgens to a favorable Testosterone level @ 50 ng/dL. Some get freaked out at having they're T at that range, sex is still doable at that range. I started using Dr. Powers T-cream which helps with penis atrophy. Even with having an orchi I still have (and enjoy sex). One aspect of using T cream or a T gel is that it rescues (grows back girth (@ 2-3 fold) and can grow back some length. I'll be posting my most recent lab results with being on the T cream and you'll see it hasn't impacted my E2 levels or loss of breast size. Adding an effective anti-androgen is key though (for me that's bicalutamide). One thing for sure is if you have any doubts of having breasts (or wanting them) don't do it. After you grow breasts those remain… only removable by surgery.  

There's certainly more to add about this subject but I'll save that for later. Oh one more thing though, you don't need to take breaks… I thought this was important in the beginning of my research, but after growing breasts for the last 12 years it turns out not to be a big thing. Any potential risks of developing breast cancer from E2 is reduced by using progesterone… which has been proven in many research studies. Think of it this way too, taking breaks means one could lose the gains (as growth tissues) if you let androgens have an advantage.